The Soundless Lovesong
by TheKeybladeForger
Summary: There are so many ways that a person can express their feelings of love. But, what if you had no words? How would you show that special person how much you cared? This is a story about a girl with no words. A story about how her feelings, saved a Wiseman. MurataxOC pairing
1. Chapter 1: Unanswered Question

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything from Kyo Kara Maoh. This is purely fan-made.

Chapter 1

There are so many ways that a person can express their feelings of love; a gentle smile; a shared moment standing together in the rain; a sideways glance; maybe a tender well-thought phrase. So many seemingly simple ways to convey such a powerful feeling, love.

But, what if you had no words? How would you show that special person how much you cared?

This is a story about a girl with no words. A girl who loved so deeply that she kept waiting for that person to come back, even long after he had forgotten about her.

Her heart was so full even when her voice was empty of even the slightest sound. She had promised to wait until he did what he must, and wait she did. For nearly four thousand years, this girl waited; ever watchful for his familiar gaze in the eyes of passing strangers.

This man had many faces, but his soul remained unchanged, and that was the part that she could see. Ever since she was a small child, this girl had the power to see the true soul in others. Some, like him, had many faces and many hearts. Lifetimes spent in search of something never found or resolved...

That was what this girl searched for, people who had hurts to mend, goals to finish, and people to meet. She could see the links that tied each person to the next; an object, a memory, a place, it didn't matter; she could see them all.

Their pain was hers and she bore them all gladly if it meant seeing him just one more time. She so badly wanted to share with him HER stories. To tell him how much she loved him. But in her heart, she knew that day may never come. The words had left her long ago and now, only her eyes told the tale of what she had seen and done. And she knew if her eyes could meet his even just once more, than she too, would find her peace...

* * *

><p>Like with all days foretelling of the extraordinary events about to unfold, the sun was bright with gold, the sky was clear of pale misty clouds, and the birds sang their little songs to greet the day; just another normal day at Covenant Castle, explosions in the lab and all. Nothing about it betraying the unexpected encounter the occupants were soon to have.<p>

Everyone in the castle was engaged in their various activities as usual. Yuri was off jogging with Conrad; Wolfram was still dead asleep in the King's bedchamber; Gunter was fussing over books in the library and which ones to use in his next lesson plan; Gwendal was mulling over official documents with a stern practiced eye; and poor Ken Murata, the Great Wiseman, was trapped doing manual labor in the Tomb of the Great One by the priestesses.

It began when all of them had gathered in Gwendal's office to discuss the progress of the repairs to the castle. Lush plants still clung to the walls outside since their last grand adventure. There were some plants that had latched their roots so deeply into the stone that each stone had to be removed in sections. In order to avoid total collapse under all that weight.

"Progress is slow but at least the damages aren't as severe as we first anticipated," Gwendal explained from his seat at the head of the table, "With any luck, we might get the majority cleared out within the week."

"Well that's good to hear," Murata signed dramatically, "That last wave of the Divine Sword's power spread all the way over to the Tomb of the Great One. They've been working me like a dog over there!"

"Oh cheer up," Conrad joked, "Aren't you glad to have all those priestesses fawning over you all the time?"

Murata winced, "If only! All they care about is my man-skills with a hammer or lifting a heavy crate. I swear...I'm beginning to feel my age with how hard they work me. I think my back might give out any second now."

Yuri laughed, "Yeah, the only strong muscle YOU have is your brain Murata. Everything else is just for show."

"Hey, that was uncalled for!" Murata pouted, "I'll have you know I'm quite the ladies' man! I was married more than half the time in my other lives. People just couldn't get enough of me!"

Yuri raised an eyebrow, "Really? Well, that might have been true before but now you're in the same boat as me. You've never had a girlfriend either."

"Well, at least YOU'RE engaged," Murata signed heavily, "I got nothing."

"What about you and Lady Ulrike?" Gunter asked, "The two of you always seemed to get along rather well."

Murata shook his head, "It's not the same..."

Wolfram looked up then and asked out of the blue, "Why not?"

Murata stood up from his seat and strode over to the map of their world, lazily tracing the borderlines as he explained, "She might be over eight-hundred years old but I'm older still. Plus, there's the fact that her eight-hundred years only spans one lifetime. As for me..." his eyes narrowed slightly and Murata continued more softly, "...I've been so many people up until now. I've had my own share of pain and loss but nothing compares the combined suffering of each life. I mean, look at what happened with Janis? Janis is one of those countless people I've been and as far as I can see, his pain was by far the greatest if he could become such a monster with power rivaling the Originators. I don't think that Lady Ulrike could ever understand what that sort of experience is like; to die, to come back, and to remember every moment of that."

"Murata..." Yuri whispered.

Murata turned back to them with one of his brightest smiles and finished, "To put it bluntly, I'm too old for her. Sure, Ken Murata might only be a sixteen-year-old elite high school student, but as the Great Wiseman, I've been through too much. I'm just-" Then, unexpectedly, his voice caught in his throat and Murata said the most personal thing he had ever said in front of any of them. He said, "-to be honest, I'm glad that it's finally over for me. I can finally just be me and be happy about it, something I haven't had in any of those other lifetimes. And now I do."

Gwendal lowered his quill and cleared his throat, "I understand that you might be feeling lonely now that you've resolved the issue with Janis but we're here about the repairs remember?"

"How can you be so insensitive?" Gunter gasped, "I think he has an-" but he was cut off short when a soldier knocked on the door.

"Enter," Gwendal said.

Once the soldier was in the doorway, Conrad stood and asked calmly, "What's your report?

The soldier bowed and reported placidly, "Your Excellency's, it appears someone has broken the castle grounds..."

"Broken in?" Gunter asked sharply, standing from his seat as well, "Have you caught them?"

The soldier blinked, "No, she's with Lady Cecile' right now. She seemed very insistent on seeing His Eminence and even went as far as to elude the guards at the gate before running into the princess. The poor girl was very distressed when they wouldn't let her pass and apparently took matters into her own hands."

"How do you know she wanted to see me?" Murata asked coolly.

"I think you had better see for yourself Your Eminence. I don't really know how to explain it," the soldier replied.

Murata glanced at the others before exchanging a quick nod and stepping forward, "Alright. Please take us to her."

"Yes Sir!" the soldier saluted, leading the group down the hall.

_I wonder who would go to such lengths for an audience with __me._Murata asked himself, _Could I have an admirer? Or is this a trap of some sort? I suppose I'll just have to see for myself..._

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, in a room near the castle's entrance, the girl in question sat silently on the floor while Lady Celli tried to comfort her. When they put her under guard for breaking into the castle she started to sob uncontrollably.<p>

This was the first time she had ever been so reckless and disobeyed the rules. Part of her felt so ashamed for not using the proper methods to make an appointment to see him but this was important to her. After all this time, all these years of waiting, finally he had come back to this world. She knew he might not know her but she did not care. Seeing his face, the face that she had known behind his eyes was more than worth it.

"Oh my, aren't we a shy one?" Lady Celli smiled softly, bringing her back to the present, "Don't worry, you're not in too much trouble my dear. It must have been very important for you to see him."

Blushing deeply, the girl nodded. Brushing some more tears from her eyes, and sniffling in a very child-like manner.

"It's alright for you to tell us your name," Lady Celli offered kindly, "We might even be able to help you with-Oh! Here they are now!"

The two soldiers stationed outside of the room opened the doors and the others filed into it one at a time. She glanced at each of them in turn but was startled to see that the King, Yuri, had all of the signs of a reincarnated person.

Behind his dark eyes she saw glimmers of hidden truths lost in a veil of forgetfulness. All except for one person, a woman with long light blue hair and matching eyes, was visible to her powers. The rest appeared to be nothing but dark shapeless shadows.

Then, the person she most wished to see entered the room and she slowly stood up to face him. Her eyes were cautious yet optimistic as she watched him come in. Hoping with all her heart that some part of him remembered her, even the faintest hint of recognition would be more than enough for her.

"I wonder who this girl is anyway..." Murata asked Yuri absentmindedly upon entering the room. He stopped short though when his eyes met hers and a small awed gasp escaped his lips.

_She's so young..._Murata observed with surprise.

At first glance, Murata guested that this girl was only about fifteen or so, and just barely too. She had a thin willowy form and small delicate hands. Her hair was a pale shade of gray-lavender that became a much darker shade at the very ends. On top of that, her eyes were a very sharp, crisp, intense, cerulean blue that shone brightly and intelligently behind her dark lashes. As for her clothing, they were torn and travel-worn but they still suggested that this girl was at least a middle-class citizen or higher. Still, what had brought her here? What was so urgent?

At first, the girl backed away shyly, searching each of their faces for the dreaded disproving look at both her appearance and the fact that she had forced her way in. But to her surprise all she found in their eyes was a mixture of concern and curiosity. Seeing this, she started to relax and calmly strode towards Murata, her eyes lighting up with a hopefulness that Murata hadn't been expecting.

Kindly, Murata assured her as well that they weren't upset with her either but that they still wanted an explanation for her actions. Then he turned to Lady Celli and asked, "Have she given you her name by any chance?"

Lady Celli shook her head, "Why no Your Eminence. We've been trying to ask her but she hasn't said a word. She had been crying too hard before us to try anyway. The poor dear must have been desperate to see you as soon as she could."

Upon hearing that, they watched transfixed as the girl reached up gingerly to remove Murata's glasses.

Murata made no move to stop her and remained calm and composed, still watching her movements carefully for any hint of malicious intent. He found none. All he saw were the deceptively innocent motions of a shy young girl looking for an answer in his eyes. What that answer was, Murata hadn't even the slightest clue.

But then, she brushed some hair from his eyes that was obscuring his face and her eye brightened as if to say _'there you are'. _She had found her answer. And then with a joyous smile, she wrapped her arms around him and began crying silently again.

Yuri gasped, "Hey, do you know her Murata?"

Murata blinked, looking down at her, "I...I'm not sure." _But I'm going to find out._


	2. Chapter 2: A Silent Plea

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything from Kyo Kara Maoh. This is purely fan-made.

Chapter 2

Finally, the girl released Murata from the embrace but still looked at him with unparalleled affection. She looked upon Murata as if she had known him her whole life, and was merely greeting him after a long time apart.

They just couldn't get over the sheer joy and love glittering in her soft smile. It was so radiant and pure that they had no doubt in the slightest that her true intentions were good. That gaze was just so honest and heartfelt that each of them just melted inside, Murata especially...

Now, more than ever, he HAD to know who this girl was. So Murata asked again, "I know you wanted to see me, but, won't you please tell us your name first?"

A twinge of pain flashed across her face and she merely motioned for his hand insistently. Confused, Murata glanced at the others before tentatively giving her his hand, which she turned palm up to face her. Then, tracing a cool finger across his sensitive palm, she began to write.

"What is she doing?" Wolfram blinked, stepping closer to get a better look.

In answer to his question, Murata read aloud, "_My name is Iris,_" he said slowly as she continued tracing letters on his outstretched palm, "_I'm so happy to have finally found you again. You have had so many faces, but I knew that inside it would still be you._"

"Ok..." Gwendal began, "So her name her name is Iris but WHY is she here? And why can't she tell us that herself? Does she think that someone is watching?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Murata said calmly, "It's because she can't."

"Can't what?" they asked in unison.

Murata replied, "Iris can't talk..."

They gasped.

"How terrible!" Gunter exclaimed dramatically.

"Really? She can't?" Wolfram and Yuri both gaped.

"Oh the poor dear!" Lady Celli cried, "I didn't realize that THAT was the reason she didn't answer me. I only thought that she was shy."

"That also explains why the guards wouldn't let her pass," Conrad observed, "How could Iris explain herself when she can't speak normally?"

"Well what I want to know is what she means by 'many faces'" Gwendal stated, "Does that mean that somehow this girl can detect His Eminences original incarnation?"

Iris began to pull her hand away from his when Murata smiled gently, "I'm not quite sure what you mean yet either but I know one thing. I can tell that your intentions are honest enough. So tell us, where are you from? And what is it exactly that you want to help me with?"

Iris seemed perplexed for a moment and glanced nervously at the others. Lastly though, Conrad noticed how her gaze fell knowingly on Yuri. As if seeing beyond him into some greater truth.

Yuri's eyes told his story to someone like Iris, someone who knew how to look, and how to see beyond the self-deceit that masked the true image of the soul behind them. He was special, like her, but in his own way. She knew...that Yuri was more than he appeared on the outside.

Iris already knew from her early childhood that a person's eyes acted as portals to the soul within. To some, there was beauty and peace found in the truth hidden there. But to others, there was an underlying pain and suffering that had left deep scars in the one place that few others besides those like Iris could reach. Such as the priestesses, as one example.

Iris was confused though that she did not see that pain in him. And yet, there was a hint of uncertainty and curiosity in Yuri's eyes to know his own truth just as Murata knew his. Even if he himself did not know that he harbored such a feeling.

So, with that in mind, she wrote on Murata's palm and asked, _Why does the King also have many faces? __He has no hurt inside. And I sense that he has eyes that see the truth beyond sight..._

Murata gasped softly, "You...can see them?"

Iris nodded.

"See what?" Yuri asked, conscious of her eyes lingering on him even as she wrote that, "Seriously, what'd she say?"

Before anyone could comment, Iris winced as if bracing for a blow and immediately withdrew her hand from Murata's and stepped back. She suddenly felt a strong sense of unease and proceeded to hide behind Murata and stare at the door. Then she began tugging on his sleeves from him to hide against the wall, her eyes wide, urgent, and fearful.

Murata was about to ask what was wrong when-

"Hey! You can't be in h-! AH!" one of the guards yelped as he was shoved aside.

Everyone then proceeded to draw their swords when a middle-aged man burst into the room, panting. Then his eyes widened as they fell upon Iris and he exclaimed angrily, "THERE you are!" he ignored the swords pointed at him and continued ranting in her direction, "What the hell has gotten into you? Don't you DARE run off like that again, you hear me?"

Iris shrank and withdrew further behind Murata. Then, with her slender back now pressed against the corner of the wall, she yelped, as if it had hurt her. This concerned him, but Murata kept his focus on the invader and shielded her from view with one of his arms.

"And who're YOU supposed to be?" Conrad asked sharply, reminding the man of the swords now directed at him from in front and behind.

The gruff-looking man puffed up his chest and bowed stiffly before replying rather rudely, "Forgive me for barging in like this Your Excellency's, but I'm her father."

Iris shook her head as if to say _'No you're not'_ and wrapped her arms around Murata, clinging to him for dear life. Murata could feel Iris shaking all the way down the length of her body. She was completely petrified of this man, that much was certain. So, Murata thought seriously, was he really her father?

Suddenly, an overwhelming sense of protectiveness overcame Murata and he challenged the man with a knowing grin, "We'll be the judge of that."

"Your Eminence...?" Gunter began, "What should we do about this? If that girl really is his child then-"

"Iris told me that she came to help me," Murata explained to them all firmly before directly addressing the man before them, "So if you don't mind, I'd like to investigate her claim first; it intrigues me. And I will take responsibility for her care until this investigation is complete. If that's alright."

The man's eyes glittered greedily for a moment as he continued to glare at the frightened girl cowering behind Murata. And Iris could see the contempt growing in his glazed eyes...

THAT was why she had run away from him to begin with; he was completely broken inside. This man was no longer her father. He was nothing but a broken shell of the loving man that had once been. Doomed to see in her his loss, and lose himself despair that he could never get it back.

"Very well," he said, straightening up, "Good luck getting any sense out of her though. And besides, it'll give me a break from this insanity until I get her to the hospital where THEY can deal with her properly."

"Hospital?" Lady Celli gasped, "Whatever for?"

"She's not right in the mind," the man stated harshly, "Thinks she sees the dead walking amongst the living," he heaved a heavy drawn out sigh and ran a large hand through his hair, "More than ever before, Iris keeps bothering random people in the streets and frightening them with those thrice-damned delusions of hers about seeing into their other '_faces_' as she calls them. Something having to do with previous lives or whatnot. Ever since she was a child Iris was always grabbing people and dragging them of to who knows where to try and '_undo the hurt_' that's supposedly keeping them earthbound. My daughter Iris has been mute since her mother passed away giving birth to her, which is why she has never really related to other people properly anyway. But even so, it's unnatural the way she behaves. I've even caught her sometimes showing people illusions of their so-called past lives with her powers," he then proceed to leer at Iris and pointed cruelly, "I'm telling you, this child is deeply disturbed! I can't deal with it anymore!"

"How can you say that about your own daughter?" Yuri shouted angrily, "How dare you-"

"I think you should leave," Lady Celli said harshly, which was rare for her, and continued to say, "It is clear to me that she has no intention of going with you and I do not care for your tone either."

"Tch, fine," he shrugged dismissively with a feral smile growing on his face, "Either way, she'll be out of my life for good very soon. Her and her damned delusions." Then, shrugging past the two soldiers again, he left. Never having even given his name...

And never to be seen again...

* * *

><p>How do you tell the truth when you have no way to tell it? Somehow, people always find a way to show it in the most indirect way. A tilt of the head; a quickly written note; it doesn't matter so long as the truth is whole, honest, and properly conveyed.<p>

But then again sometimes, just seeing is believing...

After their unexpected encounter with the man claiming to be Iris's father, they brought Iris to Geisila to have her checked out due to her unnatural lightness. They also wanted to check if Iris was actually mute; or if the cause was from emotional trauma as that man claimed it to be.

Iris sat perfectly still as Geisila examined her while the others waited outside of the room. She was very obedient and followed Geisila's instructions to perfection and seemed perfectly sound in body and mind. With the exception of her lack of nutrition at the moment.

To be honest, Geisila saw no trace of a troubled youth in her at all. Iris was a very smart girl and even Geisila noticed the knowing sapience in this girls young eyes; the same sort of timeless wisdom that she often saw in His Eminence as well.

She was very attentive and watched Geisila with a growing sense of curiously as she kept trying to look into her eyes and see her _'story'_. Growing both more amused and flustered as Geisila vigorously continued her examination and skillfully avoided Iris's probing gaze. If Iris could laugh, she probably would have knowing that her behavior slightly unnerved Geisila.

People always grew uncomfortable around those they felt knew too much; their secrets; their hurts; and their shortcomings. It was almost as if they could tell that Iris was trying to see inside of them, trying to understand and to be understood herself; because she had no other way besides writing it out to show others what she wanted to say to them.

But, like any form of language, whether the words were spoken or written, there was always the chance that they are lies. And the biggest lies of all, usually come from the person themselves. However, eyes could not lie as easily. Not unless the person fully believed in their own lie as the truth. Even then though, Iris could see it. Because what she could see was not the mind, but rather, the center of those thoughts. The true nature of the soul itself.

And that was the only way that Iris could really be fully understood...

"You need to eat something as well, but I healed most of the bruises I found on your back," Geisila weakly smiled up at her finally, "Now, would you mind if a checked your voice?"

Iris's eyes softened and she nodded before exposing her throat to her in a gesture of trust. Because normally, she flinched away from others touching her; for along with her sight, touch was also a part of what helped her sense the truth hidden within others.

Their deepest thoughts, their fleeting emotions, they all beckoned to her from their innermost selves. The parts of another's heart that could not lie and lay as raw and exposed to Iris as an open wound, begging for reprieve. Even if the person themselves didn't know that they were calling out in the first place...

"Alright, take a deep breath," Geisila instructed. Iris did so, and hardly a sound was heard, not even the faintest whisper of breath passing through her lungs.

Afterword's, Geisila raised her hand to hover over Iris's throat and began to use magic to inspect her further. But, she couldn't find anything that would prevent Iris from speaking; at least not in a physical sense.

Therefore, when Geisila finished, she said, "There, all done. Please wait here a moment while I inform His Eminence."

Iris blinked slowly as if to say '_yes_' and then absentmindedly began to drink in the details of the room she was in. However, right before Geisila could actually leave, Iris snatched her hand meaningfully and pulled her back to write a quick message on her hand.

"_'Thank you...'_" Geisila read aloud. Then, smiling kindly, she replied, "Oh you're welcome. And I'll be back soon so sit tight until then ok?"

Geisila then left Iris alone in the room to report to Murata and the others; all of whom appeared eager to hear her diagnostic. Still uncertain of what to make of the powers that Iris possessed and her uncanny ability to gaze into another's very core, their hearts, and their innermost souls. And she had a theory that somehow, Iris's own soul was a conduit to the pain of others, even the pain of the dead; which only unnerved Geisila more...

* * *

><p>"So she really is mute," Conrad said simply after Geisila finished explaining what she found, "I can't imagine that being easy on any parent but still, I agree with mother and His Highness, that man was completely out of line back there. It's most likely that those wounds on her back were inflicted by him personally."<p>

"Perhaps it was that which made her seek out His Eminence, maybe she was just looking for an excuse to escape him," Gunter added.

Yuri glanced at Murata who seemed awfully distracted and asked, "Hey, are you ok Murata? You're spacing out on us."

"Hmm? Oh, right. Sorry..." Murata replied absently, and continued to stare off into space, "I was just thinking about what that man told us. It confirms what I sensed when Iris touched me-" he closed his eyes and smiled, "-she really knows..."

"Knows what?" Wolfram asked curiously.

"That girl has a very unique gift," Murata explained, "It's such a shame that it has caused her so much pain. And then for her own father to abuse her like that, just because she couldn't find the person he wanted."

"What do you mean?" Yuri asked.

"You see, after hearing his side of the story after what Iris wrote on my hand I realized his true intentions," Murata replied, "Up until now he was using her to find his wife. But when she couldn't find her spirit, it drove her father mad. HE'S the one who's disturbed, not Iris. In fact, he's probably long gone by now-"

"Should I send someone after him?" Gwendal asked.

"No," Murata shook his head, "It won't do any good even if you DID find him. That man has no intention of taking Iris back and I think she already knows that. She's very in tune with the true nature of others. In fact, she noticed right away that Shibuya is also like me," then he paused for dramatic effect before he smirked and said, "Iris could see the shadow of Julia Von Wincott within him, just like she could sense the other incarnations of myself as well. Really, it's remarkable..."

"Whoa, back up!" Yuri gasped, "She saw Miss Julia?"

"Yes," Murata replied, "And she also said something about you '_having no hurt_' and having '_eyes that see the truth beyond sight;' _referring to your ability to see past illusions made by Esoteric skills. Iris could sense all that just from looking at you."

"Incredible!" Gunter exclaimed, "What a truly amazing gift."

"Even so..." Gwendal interjected, "...how exactly is she planning on helping His Eminence? As far as we're concerned, he has vindicated his final ties from over the last four-thousand years as the Great Wiseman. So is it another incarnation that Iris is seeking to aid? Or better yet, how does she know about him at all? From what I can tell, this girl has been seeking His Eminence for many years; but why though?"

Conrad crossed his arms, "Gwendal has a point Your Eminence," he looked at Murata meaningfully, "What are we going to do with her now? If her father really has skipped town, then she's-"

Yuri suddenly realized what he was implying exclaimed, "Wait a minute, you mean he abandoned his own-!" but he stopped himself and stared at the floor.

"That poor girl," Gunter shook his head, already certain that he had.

"Well, even if he hasn't abandoned her, I'd rather not return Iris to that man," Conrad said harshly, "A sweet girl like her with such a special gift should be raised where she can be nurtured and cared for properly."

"I agree," Gwendal nodded, "Besides that, her gift is extremely valuable. Iris is like a living lie detector and if she is really able to see into another person's soul and find their deepest secrets, then this girl could be dangerous if taken into the wrong hands."

They all turned to Murata to hear his thoughts and were surprised when he said, "Well I already promised to take responsibility for Iris so that's what I'll do. I have to see this through now and besides..."

"Besides...?" Wolfram blinked.

Murata smiled brightly and said, "...I want to know what compelled Iris to find me now. Who knows, I might have even known HER in a past life. But in any event, I already said that I would investigate her powers. As well as her reasons for seeking me out in the first place. No matter where that road might lead, I think that just maybe our meeting is where I'll find the conclusion to my existence as the Great Wiseman; a time when I can finally just be me, Ken Murata."


	3. Chapter 3: The Song Never Sung

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything from Kyo Kara Maoh. This is purely fan-made.

Chapter 3

Once they entered the room where Iris was waiting, they discovered her drawing a picture on a loose piece of parchment she had found on the little oak writing desk sitting near the windowsill. And there she sat there perfectly still, like some sort of porcelain statue, and poured all of her thoughts into completing that drawing and paid them no mind.

They had given Iris some new cloths to replace the tattered ones from before. It was a simple garment, composed of a long, rose-colored, half-sleeved silk top; a pair of plain gray-blue leggings with a red-leather belt resting on her slender hips' and a set of brown shoes. But still, Iris looked absolutely lovely. And then, to finish the entire look, Iris's hair had been twined into a half-bun on the side of her head, with the remaining locks of lilac-colored hair bathing her tiny shoulders.

Despite all this beauty, Iris still really looked like a child until she looked up slowly from her work and glanced sideways at them with her soft, yet all-knowing eyes. Yuri and the others were completely shocked when they saw that her stature had completely changed. There was no more fear in her eyes as she watchfully observed each of them enter the room. But when Iris spotted Murata, an innocently soft smile lit up her entire face as she shyly got up from her perch and strode to Murata, handing him the picture.

Murata nodded in thanks before actually looking at the drawing, and once he did peer down at it, he inhaled deeply, "Oh wow..."

Her attention to detail was unparalleled to anything Murata had seen before from someone her age. Iris had drawn for him a perfect replica of a valley that seemed awfully familiar to him for some reason. Although Murata was pretty sure he had never been there, or at least he couldn't remember.

High lofty mountains loomed above the valley and cast large shadows across the clearing. Then, all around them there also towered large ancient trees that swayed in the endless winds that swept the valley. And where there weren't trees or mountains, there were vast meadows filled with patches of wildflowers.

It took Murata a moment to realize what the picture was of and he asked her, "Is this your home Iris?"

Iris shook her head and waited patiently for Murata to give her his hand. Seeing this, he handed the drawing off to Gwendal and offered his hand to her.

She took it, but then for a moment Iris just stared at his palm. Then Iris began to make little circle patterns with the balls of her thumbs. Everyone watched her and the fondness Iris displayed for Murata every time they came into contact. It was almost as if Iris could not believe that he was actually there; and that the hand she was holding belonged to the person she had been waiting to meet for so very long.

After a long pause, Iris finally wrote, '_This is our place, the place where we first met; where I waited and where I promised...'_

Murata blushed slightly, but asked nevertheless, "What do you mean '_our place_'...? Have we met before?"

Iris nodded and wrote, '_We met here, and here I promised you that even if you didn't know me anymore, I would help you find your peace when you finally finished your journey someday. So I waited...'_

"But when did we meet?" Murata asked more insistently.

Iris didn't reply and dropped her hands from his, turning away from him, and fighting back the tears that threatened to fall. She had known all along that he would ask this, but, the question was still more painful to Iris than the answer was. Iris did not want to dwell on the past; not when they had finally gotten to see eachother again...

It was too painful.

This was throbbing pain that Iris had harbored all alone her entire life that served as her own anchor to this world. That painful ache was the price for her to remain here even after having spent lifetime after lifetime waiting for the one that Iris knew was her Destined One. Someone she had been acquainted to in many of her own past lives...

"I'm sorry," Murata apologized, "I'm just trying to figure you out. I mean, I do sense that we've met before-" Iris spun around hopefully upon hearing that but he continued solemnly, "-however, you said so yourself, I have had...'_many faces_.' So be honest its hard to keep track of them all these days."

Iris nodded as if to say '_I understand,_' and walked back towards him when suddenly she stopped and winced, snatching her shoulder, the same one that she had pressed against the wall.

"Tell me," Gwendal asked, "Did your father do that to you?"

Horrified, Iris shook her head sharply and rushed over to grab his hand and write, _'No. My father never touched me. He may have been broken, but he never laid a hand on me.'_

Confused, Gwendal then asked, "If he didn't, then who gave you those bruises?"

Iris shook her head and wrote, _'It happened when I ran away from father. I fell from my horse.'_

Gwendal seemed unconvinced but told the others what she said anyway, "She said that her wounds were caused by an accident, not by her father."

"Well, at least her father didn't beat her..." Yuri sighed before adding bitterly, "...but I STILL think that he was abusive. After all, words often hurt more than actual wounds."

"Back to the point," Murata interjected, "Iris..." Iris looked back at him as Murata said, "...if you are willing, I'd like to take you to the Tomb of the Great One to speak to Lady Ulrike. She heard about your power and like me she's very curious to see how it works. Besides that, maybe she can help you somehow too."

Iris thought about it for a moment but shook her head as if to say '_No, I' can't,' _and shied away.

"What's wrong?"Conrad asked.

Iris just continued to shake her head and walked away from them, resting one of her delicate hands on the windowpane and staring in the general direction of the tomb; her eyes filled with a mixture of the dread of knowing, and what almost appeared to be pity...

One thing about being unable to speak is that no one can force the words out of you. They are the ones that have to oblige by your silence because it feels cruel to do otherwise. Still, they wanted answers, some of which that Iris seemed unwilling or unable to tell them right away.

She had this knowing nature about her but yet, Iris was still such a child. Whats more, they didn't really know all that much about Iris as of yet anyway. Her life up until this point seemed to be noting but a complicated mess. But despite all that, Iris never stopped believing that someday she would be the one to save the Great Wiseman from spending his remaining time in loneliness. Iris wanted to prove that when love is real, it finds a way to transcend even death itself...

* * *

><p>After that, they decided no to push the subject and began gearing the conversation towards more about Iris personally. That was when Murata and the others learned by what her father meant about the visions Iris could show people. Iris had closed her eyes while standing with her hands laid palm up as all of them stood in a circle holding hands. And that was only because they all wanted to see this...<p>

The first sensation that they experienced was the sound of laughter and the sound of swaying grass in the breeze. It was so real that each of them could almost feel the grass underneath their feet, the slight brush of wind, and the warmth of bright sunbeams against their skin. There was nothing but joy radiating from the vision as it blossomed before their eyes.

Two children were playfully chasing each other around the same tree from Iris's drawing, one of them with burgundy colored hair, and the other with platinum blonde colored hair. And when Murata realized who it was, he gasped, "It's Janis!"

The vision then warped and distorted suddenly as another force interjected with the vision and lurched forward from that place under the tree to the town just below the castle. It was dark, without any light from the moon or the stars, nothing but the dying embers of torchlight lining the streets. There, they saw a woman running down the streets clutching a pile of music sheets in her arms.

A startled gasp escaped her lips as a dagger shot past her cheek just before she could duck around the corner. Hot blood ran down her face as she kept running, staining the sheets of parchment with droplets of ruby blood. There, she frantically scratched at the wall, searching for something within the stone.

However, a shadow caught up to her and as it came upon her, she shrieked with such intensity that they jerked back and let go of each others hands. It sounded just like it had happened right there in that very room.

And the vision stopped.

"What in the world was THAT?" Yuri shouted, "Iris, what just-!"

"Iris!" Murata gasped, "You're bleeding!"

Stunned, Iris touched her face lightly and stared at the blood with a blank expression as it trickled down her fingers. At first, they thought for sure that she was going to start crying and panic at the sight of the blood, but to their amazement, Iris just pulled a handkerchief and pressed it against the wound as if it was no big deal. Although, Iris was unable to completely hide her fright because they could see her hand trembling slightly in the folds of the cloth.

"Now I understand!" Murata realized, "You're an Empath aren't you? That's why you felt what happened too isn't it? You felt that woman's pain as she..."

Iris nodded before pointing at the door as it opened abruptly to reveal Anissina, who had just heard about Iris, burst into the room. "I heard a scream, is everything alright?"

Despite the situation, Yuri couldn't help but laugh and mutter nervously under his breath, "Yeah, sure, when it's a scream that YOU didn't cause it catches your attention."

"We're fine," Conrad interjected quickly before she heard that remark, "There was just a small incident and Iris hurt herself."

"Iris? Oh, you mean the girl that Lady Celli told me about." Anissina said gleefully, "I heard that she has an unusual gift-"

Before they could stop her, Iris suddenly bolted around Anissina, out the door, and down the hall. Which at first they assumed was because she sensed Anissina's intentions.

"Ah!" Yuri gasped sharply, "We better talk about this later. Come on guys, we better follow her."

"Right!"

* * *

><p>"I guess her father was right, Iris DOES like to run off at random!" Wolfram panted, "She can't have gotten that far so why haven't we caught up to her?"<p>

"Wolfram, have you SEEN how skinny she is? That girl is built for running!" Yuri replied.

No one else spoke as they chased Iris out of the castle and onto the road to town. And Yuri was right, given her natural lightness, Iris was a very fast runner. Even given the fact that most of them were trained soldiers, even they had a difficult time keeping up with Iris because of how fast she ran. She had to be, to reach those whose lives needed to be touched WHEN they needed to touch.

Yet, there was an underlying frailness to Iris that they had already observed. The heartbreak of knowing; to feel when someone was in agony, either emotionally or physically, and to be open to all those feelings regardless of how much time had passed. Forced to follow the impulse regardless of what Iris was doing or who she was with...

That is what they learned when they finally found Iris.

She was sitting on her knees trying desperately to pry open a loose stone in the wall of an old building. Her brow was covered in sweat both from running and because of the ongoing twinge of pain from her now throbbing cut. It was clear that Iris's pain would not go away until she resolved this so she kept pulling until at last it came free.

_Hurry, he's leaving! _The woman's voice shouted in Iris's mind, _He has to see them, he has to see the last words of our song!_

Poor Iris clawed at the stone with quivering hands, unable to escape the woman's desperate pleas nor the overpowering sense of urgency that now filled Iris's heart as if it were her own. Murata called her name and tried to pull Iris away from the wall but she ignored him, as if he wasn't even there. It pained Murata in a way that he couldn't even comprehend to see Iris unable to stop herself from tearing at the stone even when her fingers began to grow raw and bloody.

Then finally, with a resigned glint in her eyes, to their ever-growing astonishment, Iris finally pulled out the same bloodied sheets of music that they had seen in the vision. Staining them with fresh blood from her fingers.

From the looks of those pages, they were very old. With tattered edges that had slightly yellowed with age,where only the black notes and bloodstains remained clear. Before they could get a closer look, that's when Iris stood up and dashed to the far end of the alley just as a man appeared.

"Oh, Your Excellencies!" the man bowed nervously as he stepped into the alley and saw all of them just standing there, "I didn't realize it was you."

"We were just-" Murata tried to explain when the man suddenly began to stare at the pages in Iris's hands.

His eyes grew wide as they fell upon the title of the song on the first page and he inhaled sharply, "It can't be...!"

"Do you know what those are?" Gwendal asked curiously, stepping behind Iris.

And Iris, with a weak smile offered the pages to him, her eyes glittering strangely; hopefully.

With trembling fingers, the man took them from Iris and said shakily, "I would know this writing anywhere Your Excellency. This was our song, mine and Gabrielle's. But she disappeared nearly twenty five years ago, and I never saw her again..."

Snatching his wrist, Iris looked him meaningfully in the eye and the man stiffened as a vision blurred across his vision. "What the-? What is this?" he exclaimed, "This is...No. No this can't be real! NO!"

"What's going on? Is she showing him the same vision that we saw?" Yuri asked nervously.

"That'd be my guess," Wolfram stated, equally as nervously. "But then that must mean...That woman...she was-"

"Murdered," Murata answered simply, "And that same woman's spirit called out to Iris, compelling her to come here with such force that it physically effected her body. Hence the cut that Iris suddenly got after the vision ended the first time. Such things have been known to happen to Empath's."

"What's an Empath? You called her that just before she ran off," Conrad observed, "Do you know something about this power? Because I for one have never heard of such a skill from anyone other than a priestess like Ulrike."

"Just wait and see," Murata stated simply, never taking his eyes off of Iris...

Even as the two stood there, locked in visions of the past, Iris's skin began to pale and she appeared to be in pain. But the pain didn't come from the cut, it came from experiencing all of Gabrielle's emotions all at once. Wrapped in a tempest of sorrows, regrets, pain, hurt, that she could not escape until the deed was done and Iris fulfilled their final wish.

Finally, the two of them crumpled to the ground and the man began to sob, "I can't believe this. Even in the end, all she thought of was me. I thought that Gabrielle hated me when really, all that time she spent obsessing over the piano, refusing to speak to me, it was all to finish this one song. And all those times she felt like someone was watching us, someone was. They killed her. They killed her because she refused their advances...and I never knew...I never-"

Iris seemed so tired and yet even as this stranger wept before her, all she did was wrap her thin arms around him like a mother would for their child and sat there. At last they understood what Iris's powers were all about. Not all of it, but enough to understand the burden she bore.

Yet, when Iris looked back to face Murata and the rest of them, the most loving smile lit up her pale face and the cut on her face vanished without a trace. As a testament that she had appeased the spirit that called to her...

And when the man stopped weeping, he turned to the very last page of the song and read aloud the final verses:

_Dreaming of you, in days without you that have long passed us by, I remember. Our days are my treasure; more precious than gold. Remember me, and I am not far; I am here. In these words I live forever, your name on my lips. Your name, is my song..._


	4. Chapter 4: Unspoken Love

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything from Kyo Kara Maoh. This is purely fan-made.

**Note: **Mostly, I'm using this song because it has "...wise man" in the lyrics, but, its also to express how Iris is Murata's angel and he's beginning to realized that he's falling in love with her. He just wished he knew how they had fallen in love before. Anyway, enjoy!

Chapter 4

_(Send Me An Angel by Scorpions)_

_The wise man said just walk this way_

_To the dawn of the light_

_The wind will blow into your face_

_As the years pass you by_

_Hear this voice from deep inside_

_It's the call of your heart_

_Close your eyes and your will find_

_The passage out of the dark_

_Here I am_

_Will you send me an angel_

_Here I am_

_In the land of the morning star_

_The wise man said just find your place_

_In the eye of the storm_

_Seek the roses along the way_

_Just beware of the thorns_

_Here I am_

_Will you send me an angel_

_Here I am_

_In the land of the morning star_

_The wise man said just raise your hand_

_And reach out for the spell_

_Find the door to the promised land_

_Just believe in yourself_

_Hear this voice from deep inside_

_It's the call of your heart_

_Close your eyes and your will find_

_The way out of the dark_

_Here I am_

_Will you send me an angel_

_Here I am_

_In the land of the morning star_

_Here I am_

_Will you send me an angel_

_Here I am_

_In the land of the morning star_

* * *

><p>"I can't thank you enough for finding these," the man said, bowing, "This was the last time I was ever going to come back to the capital; it brings back too many memories of her."<p>

"It wasn't us," Murata said simply, finishing wrapping the clean linens around Iris's fingers, "It was all Iris.

"Iris?" the man blinked, "This girl?" Then, smiling warmly, he knelt in front of her sitting on the bed in his house and said, taking her bandaged hands, "Thank you, Iris. But, how did you-"

Iris reached forward, wincing slightly because of her sensitive wounds, and began writing on his palm, _'She's here, trapped in the In-between. Until her final ties are cut to this life, she cannot progress, she cannot move on.'_

"The 'In-between'? What is that?" he asked softly.

Glancing at Murata briefly, Iris wrote, _'Its the place between death and rebirth, where those who die choose whether or not to go onto heaven, or to return to this world and live again; most of them sacrificing everything they knew before. Sometimes, even the ties to the people they miss. But some don't have a choice. Some are trapped because they perished too soon or did not choose to return but were compelled to by unbroken ties...'_

"How do you know all this?" the man asked, watching her intently.

However, Iris became perplexed again and shook her head, _'I don't know. I just do. I think I know these things because...that was the only way I could find him. The only way to find my most cherished person no matter who he became.'_

He didn't know what to say to that and instead asked carefully, "So, what must I do to help her completely pass on?"

Looking at him with a kind smile, she wrote a single word that said it all, _'Play.'_

* * *

><p>They had no idea what Iris told him besides the bits that the man repeated, but all of them watched as he crossed the room to unveil an antique piano and set the bloodied sheets on the frame. Obviously he couldn't sing the words, that had always been Gabrielle's specialty, but no one could play this song better then he could.<p>

Murata sat beside Iris, never taking his eyes of the man, and unconsciously wrapped his arm around her shoulder. Iris blushed, but she followed his gaze watching the man and waited for Gabrielle to appear. Just like she knew that she would...

The first note rang out, slow and clear, as though nothing had changed it from the moment this piano was brand new. A second note rang, striking their hearts as well as he played more keys and wove a beautiful melody. It began with a subtle prelude before it was about to climax into the first verse, that's when Gabrielle finally appeared...

Although no one but Iris could see her.

Gabrielle's face was filled with longing as she stroked his cheek, wishing so badly that he could know she was there. Then she looked right at Iris before singing along with the music.

Iris was so entranced by the music that she hardly listened to the words, she just leaned against Murata and listened, smiling with contentment. Then, just behind Conrad standing near the window, it burst open and the faded curtains almost seemed to dance. The whole room seemed so much brighter and like new again.

The air had not smelled so clean in this house for decades. Not since the days when these two were actually happy together. Iris could feel her love filling the room up to the brim; she was sure that the rest of them could feel it too. Most people could when their emotions reach a height like this. Even without being Empath's.

Iris looked up as Gabrielle sang the final verses, the only words that seemed to matter the most now that she was gone; the words that told her beloved that even when she was gone, she wasn't:

_Dreaming of you, in days without you that have long passed us by, I remember. Our days are my treasure; more precious than gold. Remember me, and I am not far; I am here. In these words I live forever, your name on my lips. Your name, is my song..._

With a loving smile, Gabrielle kissed him on the cheek one final time and whispered, "_I love you, Tristan." _And with that, the wind died away with a final whisper of breath and the world settled back into place.

They knew it was over.

Gabrielle, was gone...

* * *

><p>"Ok..." Yuri sighed shakily once they finally returned to the castle, "THAT by far was one of the freakiest things I've ever seen. So like...is Iris some sort of psychic-ghost-detective or something? I mean, I've heard about them using people with her, uh, abilities to solve murder mysteries back on Earth but I didn't know there were people like her here in this world too."<p>

"Neither did I to be frank," Murata admitted, "I can only imagine how hard this has been for her; given how this ability forces her to feel extremes like that. Yet, Iris she-"

Gwendal crossed his arms, "Now I understand why her father was so distressed. He couldn't help her and Iris can't see the dead who have successfully passed on. And the reason Iris was always running of was because she can't stop herself when the impulse hits her. Yet for some reason, Iris gladly carries their burdens because-" he looked at Murata seriously, "-she wanted to meet you again Your Eminence."

"Yes but..." Murata shook his head, "...If I met her as Janis, then why can't I remember her at all? Sure, some of my older memories are a bit faded but I can still remember most of the details of those lifetimes. Furthermore, the other Janis's memories have been returned to me since I brought his spirit back within me but still, even that part of me doesn't remember her."

"Well, maybe you can't remember because you were so little," Conrad offered, "That makes sense since you were children in the first vision. Maybe something happened and the two of you were separated. Either that or you can't remember because she was also someone else before. Clearly she remembers you, however, you've also been here much longer then Iris has. Her lifetimes only seem to span two thousand years, which is only half the amount that you've lived through."

Murata nodded simply, "Perhaps..."

"What's wrong?" Yuri asked.

"I don't know. I'm just worried about Iris that's all; she has this unique gift to touch lives beyond this life, but it seems to hurt her. But she doesn't seem to care though. Iris doesn't care what happens to her now, all she wanted was to see me one last time. And I have a bad feeling if something that extreme happens again, it might kill her," Murata paused, thinking carefully about his next comment, "I'm sure by now Iris has realized that I've already cut my ties as the Great Wiseman. Once this life is done, I can move on as well. That doesn't matter to her now. Her whole life has been leading up to this; trying to help me move on, but I already am going to. Iris knows that, I'm certain of it, so why does she insist on staying with me? I can't be who she knew. I can't. And that makes me feel awful about everything she has gone through up until now. Like I've been leading her on with false hopes..."

"That's not true!" Yuri exclaimed, "Iris isn't doing this because of just that promise or whatever! Don't you get it?" then he snorted, "And usually I'M the clueless one and you're the smart one. She loves you Murata! Why else would she keep waiting for you all these years? Not caring if you remembered her or not. Didn't you learn anything from what we saw today? Love doesn't die. No matter how much time passes, love survives. Even if the actual memories don't, the feeling remains behind, no matter what."

"He's right!" Wolfram proclaimed, "Just like how I'll always love Yuri even to the day I die!"

Yuri laughed nervously, "Ah...yeah, about that-"

Then, as per usual, the two started arguing childishly over their engagement while Murata sneakily ducked out of the room. Of course, Gwendal and Conrad both noticed this but they let him go anyway. Murata needed some alone time with Iris. And they intended to give that to him...

* * *

><p>Iris lay curled up on her side on the bed idly staring at her bandaged hands. It had been a long time since this sort of thing had happened. The last time had indeed happened after Iris ran away from her father. She had been passing a ravine at the bottom of a waterfall when the vision blinded her. After that, her horse had bucked, startled, and Iris was left alone there, locked in a vision she couldn't escape. No matter how hard she tried.<p>

Two friends had been playing in at the top of the falls when one of them fell in. Water filled their mouths and several times their body had slammed against the rocky bottom due to the power of the currents. Thankfully, the poor boy had been rendered unconscious long before going off of the falls and plummeting to their death where the real agony would have taken place against the jagged rocks below...

Still, Iris's entire back had been covered in bruises from the vision. Despite that though, Iris forced herself to stand even though her body ached or she would be too late. She was running out of time. Her father would surely find her soon and then Iris would never see him; the one she had been waiting so long for.

The further away Iris got from the falls, the more the ache dulled and the bruises faded. Although Iris wanted to help that spirit, she couldn't save everyone. No matter what she did, or had the ability to do, Iris was only mortal. There had to be a line between who she could reasonably help, and living her own life. Even with the impulses that threatened to force her to do it anyway.

This power had been the price to keep herself bound to this life, but it wouldn't amount to anything if she never saw him again. It had already been far too long since they last met. And Iris feared that she would be left behind forever if she didn't create a new bond with him now.

If only she could make him love her as much as she loved him before. Only, Iris wanted this to be a new love, not a shadow of their past affection. That love could never be repeated; just as the same life cannot be lived twice. What mattered now was who they were now, not who they had been...

But how to get him to understand that...?

* * *

><p>Iris started slightly as someones hands took hers and lightly kissed the tips of her fingers. It was only when she looked up that Iris realized is was Murata and bolted upright, blushing a deep scarlet. Yet, she couldn't tear her eyes away from his as they grew so tender that Iris's heart just melt. He always used to look at her like that, and she in turn would return that affection tenfold, holding him in her arms, never wanting to let go...<p>

"Iris, I'm so sorry," Murata said, "I don't know you but, I hate seeing you let this happen," he gripped her hands as tight as he dared and laid across from her on the bed, blushing,"I wish that you could tell me about it. About the me you remember. Because for some reason, I can't."

Smiling, Iris slid her hands out from his and just hugged Murata around the chest. Holding him close, and holding him tight...

This was all she ever wanted. To hold him again, to see him again, to be with him again. Iris loved him so much, but at that time, she didn't want to distract him from his duties. Therefore, before Janis died, she used all the power she had to make him forget about her. Otherwise, she feared he would lose sight of his mission in search of her, knowing how much they were in love.

Janis had always been bound by duty and very responsible, even as a child. He always seemed so distracted until finally, he remembered who he was. Then he told her everything, if only because she was his cherished friend. Even he never realized until they were much older how deeply her love ran; regardless of her knowing the truth about himself.

And if Murata really knew that Iris had done the exact same thing that she feared he would do by following him lifetime after lifetime, would he understand how much she loved him? Would remembering that small fact help their new love blossom? Or would it simply burden his heart again so soon after finally finding a way to be free?

Murata was unsure of what he was doing, but he wrapped his arms around her too and the two of them just laid there like that for a long time. He didn't say a word. Just holding her felt so liberating somehow, there was no other way to explain it.

That's when Murata realized, after looking back on the past lives that he hadn't been as willing to fall in love after Janis passed away. There were a few times when he did fall in love and get married, but something always seemed missing. So was this...was this his chance to fall in love again? Was he allowed to just be Ken Murata and finally have a cute girlfriend...?

_Yes, _Murata decided, _I don't think I'm ever going to find anyone as in love with me as she is before my time here ends too. So ok. I'll give this a try..._

* * *

><p>"So, where did His Eminence go again...?" Gunter asked.<p>

"He slipped away to go talk to Iris while these two were fighting," Conrad winked playfully, gesturing at Wolfram and Yuri walking behind them.

"Don't look at me!" Wolfram huffed, "Yuri started it."

Yuri rolled his eyes, "Yeah, sure, you just keep thinking that Wolfram."

Wolfram was about to make a retort when Anissina appeared with a dangerous look in her eyes. "I heard all about what happened. So this girl can really see the dead?"

"Depends-" Gwendal asked suspiciously, "-why do you ask?"

"Simple. I want to help the poor girl gain control over those impulses and prevent these spirits from hurting her with my latest invention! Is that so wrong Gwendal?" she asked innocently.

His eyebrows twitched, "Well, no, but-"

"Then it's settled!" Anissina beamed, "I'll go fetch her right now!"

"Wait, she's-" Conrad began but Anissina was already dashing for the room and they chased after her.

Anissina slowed down only once she reached the door and carefully opened the door, "Hello Iris, my name is..." but then, she sudden trailed off and walked inside of the room.

Curious about her reaction, Yuri and the other exchanged looks before following after her very quietly. That's when they saw it.

Somewhere along the way, both Iris and Murata both fell asleep and lay curled up together. A soft smile of contentment touched both of their sleeping faces, making them look so sweet together. Truthfully, Yuri had never seen Murata so serene before. For once, Murata seemed like a normal person in love instead of just the shadow of the Great Wiseman.

Even now, even after everything was over in regards to the Originators, they were always depending on Murata. Most of them never stopped to think that just maybe, at times, he wanted to forget about all that and just be Yuri's best friend from Earth, president of the Chess Club, an elite High School student, and most importantly, Ken Murata. Murata would never say it but he was really growing tired of being compared to his previous selves. Especially after the incident with Janis.

For the first time in a long time, Murata wanted some time to himself. Only, from the looks of it, it wasn't really by himself. Really, the way they saw Murata holding her in his sleep and the way he pulled her steadily closer, meant that unconsciously, he did know her.

Murata knew exactly how he felt about her now; his mind just hadn't fit the pieces of their past together yet...


	5. Chapter 5: The Voiceless Warning

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything from Kyo Kara Maoh. This is purely fan-made.

**Note: **Hello readers! You know, I almost forgot I even wrote this story until someone subscribed for the story alerts just recently so I decided to go back and read all the chapters last night. I remember being inspired to write this after watching that new show _'Touched' _which for whatever reason I can't find it anywhere since I was recording it on our DVR. At any rate, I wasn't planning on making this story very long since I have other things to do so this chapter will be part of the climax before I conclude this tale That is, unless you ask me to write more in which case I'll try to think up something else to do to build up her relationship with Murata a bit more. But for now, please enjoy this new chapter.

Chapter 5

_(The Writer by Ellie Goulding)_

_You wait for a silence, I wait for a word_  
><em>Lie next to your frame, girl unobserved<em>  
><em>You change your position and you are changing me<em>  
><em>Casting these shadows where they shouldn't be<em>

_We're interrupted by the heat of the sun_  
><em>Trying to prevent what's already begun<em>  
><em>You're just a body, I can smell your skin<em>  
><em>And when I feel it, you're wearing thin<em>

_But I've got a plan_  
><em>Why don't you be the artist<em>  
><em>And make me out of clay<em>  
><em>Why don't you be the writer<em>  
><em>And decide the words I say<em>

_'Cause I'd rather pretend_  
><em>I'll still be there at the end<em>  
><em>Only it's too hard to ask<em>  
><em>Won't you try to help me<em>

_Sat on your sofa, it's all broken springs_  
><em>This isn't the place for those violin strings<em>  
><em>I try out a smile and I aim it at you<em>  
><em>You must have missed it, you always do<em>

_But I've got a plan_  
><em>Why don't you be the artist<em>  
><em>And make me out of clay<em>  
><em>Why don't you be the writer<em>  
><em>And decide the words I say<em>

_'Cause I'd rather pretend_  
><em>I'll still be there at the end<em>  
><em>Only it's too hard to ask<em>  
><em>Won't you try to help me<em>

_You wait, I wait, casting shadows, interrupted_  
><em>You wait, I wait, casting shadows, interrupted<em>  
><em>You wait, I wait, casting shadows<em>

_Why don't you be the artist_  
><em>And make me out of clay<em>  
><em>Why don't you be the writer<em>  
><em>And decide the words I say<em>

_'Cause I'd rather pretend_  
><em>I'll still be there at the end<em>  
><em>Only it's too hard to ask<em>  
><em>Won't you try to help me<em>

_Why don't you be the artist_  
><em>And make me out of clay<em>  
><em>Why don't you be the writer<em>  
><em>And decide the words I say<em>

_'Cause I'd rather pretend_  
><em>I'll still be there at the end<em>  
><em>Only it's too hard to ask<em>  
><em>Won't you try to help me<em>

* * *

><p>Murata had long since returned to his own chambers by the time Iris woke up, just in case anyone thought they had done more than just cuddled. She expected as much, but still shivered at the absence of his familiar warmth. Although that wasn't actually what woke Iris up...<p>

Something was wrong.

Iris could sense it at once and quickly ran from her room; breathless by the time she made it to the far end of the hall where Iris sensed a malevolent presence. It was certainly from a living being, that much Iris could tell, but it felt so angry and old that it felt like someone with a deep-seeded grudge.

At times like this, it was very difficult for Iris to warn someone of the danger because she couldn't speak and was forced to write it all out on their hands. But by then, it was usually too late. Therefore Iris learned to try and settle things herself to the best of her abilities. Some of which came from her other powers besides just sensing what others could not.

Iris could also extend her senses to touch the minds of others and send them images in place of words; though the trouble with that was that sometimes the message was misinterpreted. The others had seen her do it before with the vision of Janis's childhood, as well as with Tristan, but that required Iris making a direct link with them through touch to show them the visions. Otherwise, the images could not appear for very long.

The rest of the castle was sound asleep save for the guards on their usual patrol of the grounds. Yet Iris sensed an unseen shadow closing in from one of the watchtowers directly towards one of the side doors that the servants used. There wasn't any time to get help so Iris followed the shadow with her mind while blindly stumbling through the dim halls lit only by fading torch lights while feeling an overwhelming hatred coming from the owner of the presence she felt. A hatred that made her tremble under its oppressive weight.

Before long, the shadow made its way towards the royal chambers where Yuri, Gretta, and Wolfram were sound asleep; heedless of the dangerous visitor heading directly towards them. Iris was nearly there when she felt a wave of nausea so intense that she doubled over with her arms wrapped around her stomach in pain. It almost felt like being stabbed with how badly it hurt.

_Please, not now. Yuri is-! _Was what Iris thought when it dawned on her that these were the stranger's own thoughts causing her pain. He was _planning_ on murdering the Demon King with a poisoned knife! And the thought was so strong that it physically affected Iris already even though nothing had actually happened yet. But it was about to unless Iris did something.

A testament of those intense inklings of loathing that this man felt was the blood soon began to blossom across her stomach from a shallow cut that had formed where he planned to strike Yuri. That's how bad it always was. When someone died a violent death, powerful thoughts or feelings would always manifest on her body to the maximum extent that was possible without actually killing her. So this time, an open wound appeared on Iris but did not penetrate all the way through as it would have if she had actually been stabbed. Only the freely bleeding gash on the surface of her skin was visible.

But this wasn't about a death that already happened, it was one being plotted at this very moment by one of the living...

Normally, Iris would have stopped to tend to her new wound but there wasn't time. He was nearly to their room already. Therefore, still bleeding, Iris ran as fast as she could manage until the dark figure came into view hovering over a pair of fallen guards. They weren't dead, Iris would have sensed it, but something was still wrong. Had he poisoned them too with his blade?

* * *

><p>Iris saw the man easing the door to Yuri's room open when she felt herself dashing towards him with a silent cry that caught him off guard. The two of them came crashing through the doors and thankfully the ruckus stirred the rest of the castle and Wolfram woke up to find them fighting over the wicked curved knife in his left hand.<p>

"What the-?! WOLFRAM!" Yuri shouted in alarm, shaking him awake, "Hurry and get your sword! Someone's in here!"

With a jolt, Wolfram bolted upright as Yuri snatched Gretta and backed against the wall to avoid the danger. And what they saw was Iris trying to pry the dagger out of the hands of Yuri's would-be assailant. But she was so thin and frail while this man was broad and well built, so his strength should have easily overpowered her by now.

Still, the two of them rolled in a tangled mess of flailing limbs while Wolfram kept searching for his chance to intervene without accidently harming Iris. Meanwhile, he shouted at Yuri, telling him to run for it and get Gretta to safety. And with a quick nod, Yuri complied and swept Gretta into his arms before running barefoot down the hall and calling for the guards.

While Yuri was off looking for help, Iris glared up into the stranger's and saw exactly why he was trying to do this to the Demon King. It was because his youngest brother had died many months ago after drowning at sea after falling off during the tempest Yuri was forced to summon by King Saralegui. They had been so busy trying to retrieve their own King, Ranjeel, from the waves that his pleas for them to rescue his brother too had gone unheard. Therefore, he came to blame Yuri for his brother's death and thought it was about time for the Demon King to pay the price for his actions. Even though it had been their kingdom that attacked the Great Demon Kingdom first...

But while Iris was busy looking into his soul, she failed to notice the amount of space closing between his dagger and her body. Also, as he saw those memories blurring behind his own eyes the man shouted hysterically, "You monster, how dare you try to pervade my mind with your damned sorcery! No one else understands. They are all fools! We must erase your evil race from this world before more people like my brother are killed for no good reason. If it wasn't for the Demon Tribe, he never would have been conscripted to War! HE NEVER WOULD HAVE DIED!"

Trying to drive the dagger into Iris's chest, she fought against it with both of her hands and was racked with the pain that this man was remembering about his brother. She could feel herself running out of air as the stinging salt water filled her lungs and the oppressive weight of water trying to crush her under the relentless waves. And then a choking sound bubbled up from her throat and-while convulsing violently-Iris coughed up a spray of water into his face which immediately splashed across his eyes, stunning him for a moment.

"You little brat!" he bellowed, ripping his wrists out of her hands and raising the dagger above his head as he grinned wildly, "I'll kill you first, then the Demon King is next!"

Taking his chance the instant that the dagger was far enough away from Iris's chest now, Wolfram ran forward, sword raised just when the soldiers burst in and he stopped mid-step. But, that was a grave mistake. Because unlike Wolfram, the cloaked stranger didn't hesitate and before the soldiers could rip him off in time, the dagger began its decent...

* * *

><p>Iris inhaled sharply since she could not scream as the cold metal drove itself into her flesh and she arched her back in agony. Only she didn't die, because the dagger missed its mark.<p>

The only thing that saved her from dying right then and there is that the soldiers managed to yank him back in just enough time to mess up his aim so that the dagger was embedded in her shoulder rather than directly into her heart. However, Iris knew it was only a matter of time before she did die. Because they didn't know about the poison yet and already she could feel her own warmth ebbing away as the chill of impending death spread. And although it had missed her heart, the poison from the blade was close enough to it to make quick work through her bloodstream and slowly kill her bit by bit.

And without a voice, there was no way to warn them of the poison in time...

Therefore, in mere minutes, she would be dead.


	6. Chapter 6: The Breathless Wish

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything from Kyo Kara Maoh. This is purely fan-made.

**Note: ****WARNING! GRAFFIC CONTENT IN THIS CHAPTER!** Now that that's out of the way, hello again. So for anyone who hasn't read the note in my newest 'Begotten Hearts' chapter I've been feeling a little down in the dumps lately. I won't get into any details but let's just say there's been a lot of stressful things happening in my life and they're making me have a lot of sleepless nights without much of anything able to cheer me up. That's why I haven't been updating 'Secret of the Black Lion' or 'Comatose' recently. I just haven't been inspired or motivated to because of the lack of reviews for ANY of the updates I managed to convince myself to do regardless of my personal problems. So until I can get motivated to do anymore updates besides this chapter, I am going to try and back to re-read at least one entire story by the end of this month and fix the grammar problems before I write anymore new chapters. So until then, wish me luck and PLEASE remember to review. I really could use a moral boost right about now wherever I can get it.

Chapter 6

_(Black Roses Red by Alana Grace)_

_Can I ask you a question please_

_Promise you won't laugh at me_

_Honestly, I'm standing here_

_Afraid I'll be betrayed_

_As twisted as it seems_

_I only feel love when it's in my dreams_

_So let in the morning light and let the darkness fade away_

_Can you turn my black roses in red?_

_Can you turn my black roses in red?_

_(La la la, la la la... La la la, oh uh oooh_

_La la la, la la la oh oh, la la la oh hum hum)_

_Drowning in my loneliness_

_How long must I hold my breath_

_So much emptiness inside I could fill the deepest sea_

_I reach to the sky as the moon looks on_

_One last year has come and gone_

_It's time to let your love rain down on me_

_Can you turn my black roses red?_

_Can you turn my black roses red?_

_Can you turn my black roses red?_

_Cause I'm feelin like I'll blame it on love_

_Feelin like I'll blame it on love_

_Feelin like I'll blame it on love, yeah_

_I'm feelin like I'll blame it on love_

_Feelin like I'll blame it on love_

_Feelin like I'll blame it on love_

_(La la la, la la la... la la la, la la la oh oh_

_La la la huum huuum)_

_Can you turn my black roses red?_

_Can you turn my black roses red?_

_Can you turn my black roses red?_

_Cause I'm feelin like I'll blame in on love_

_I'm feeling like I'll blame it on love_

_Feeling like I'll blame it on love, yeah yeah_

_I'm feeling like I'll blame it on l_

_Feeling like I'll blame it on love_

_Feeling like I'll blame it on love_

* * *

><p>"What happened here?" Gwendal demanded one of the soldiers harshly while the rest of his comrades were still struggling to drag Yuri's crazed attacker away and lock him up just when the rest of them, including Murata, arrived at the scene.<p>

"I'm afraid I don't know the full details yet sir but-" the soldier explained, "-it appears that Lady Iris must have been trying to stop that man from sneaking into His Majesty's bedchamber and killing him before we arrived. Unfortunately it appears that she was injured in the process and His Excellency Lord Bielefeld was unable to intervene in time."

Alarmed, Murata surprised them all by abruptly shoving the soldier aside and crying out as he burst into the room, "IRIS!"

Wolfram looked up sharply from where he knelt beside Iris to examine her wounds and met Murata's horrified gaze when he saw Iris, who was practically drenched in blood now. Most of it was only from the phantom wound of where Yuri was _going_ to be struck with the dagger, but the real wound was the one in her shoulder that was still fresh. Hot blood was still freely flowing from it, concealing the fact that edges of skin where the blade had sliced through had begun to blacken and bruise thanks to the thick coating of deadly poison. A poison that they still didn't know about yet.

The moment Iris saw him, her face lit up as it always did only to fall seconds later as her body began to quiver and continue to grow colder. She was scared, but did her best to conceal it while Wolfram gently supported her back so they could further examine the severity of the wound and also help her into the stretcher that Geisila quickly arranged the soldiers to bring for Iris.

Not that it would help, since Iris knew she wasn't going to make it out of this room alive...

Therefore, reaching out with a bloodied hand towards Yuri who stood just behind Murata, she motioned him to give him her hand. Because Yuri needed to know the reason behind that man's hatred, and also, to tell them somehow that they couldn't save her, not from this.

With tears glistening in his dark eyes Yuri said emotionally, "You saved my life Iris, thank you. And don't worry...ok? You're going to be fine..."

Iris didn't react to his thankful words though and kept insisting Yuri more earnestly for him to hurry and give him his hand. What she didn't count on though was the fact that the instant their hands touched, Yuri felt how cold Iris was so before she could even attempt to show Yuri anything he gasped sharply-

"Iris has gone cold! Geisila, please hurry!"

"Right!" Geisila nodded sharply before barking instructions to the soldiers to carefully load her into the stretcher.

Iris though-as weak as she was-began to struggle against them and grabbed a fist-full of Yuri's shirt before she yanked it so hard that the fabric tore off a huge chunk. She had to tell him before it was too late. And knowing that, tears of frustration filled her eyes as Geisila forced her to lay down again with surprising strength and started to sedate her just when the voice of the man who stabbed her bellowed loudly from down the hall, "IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN THE DEMON KING! HE SHOULD BE THE ONE TO DIE, NOT THAT BRAT! HE SHOULD BE THE ONE TO DIE AND FEEL THE SAME PAIN MY BROTHER DID!"

"What the-?!" Wolfram gaped as they listened to his ranting.

Hysterical laughter was then heard as the man shrieked gleefully, "Now he'll know the extent of my suffering; he'll also feel the pain of being helpless as he watches someone he loves die right before his eyes! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! WATCH HER WRITHE IN PAIN AS SHE DROWNS IN HER OWN BLOOD DEMON KING! AND KNOW THAT HER DEATH WILL ALSO BE ON YOUR HANDS!"

Soon after that, they heard the sound of sword meeting flesh when through sheer force he managed to steal a sword from one of the soldiers and proceeded to stab himself in the neck with a final spout of gurgled laughter. Thankfully though, Yuri wasn't anywhere near the man so he didn't have to see him kill himself. Even so though, Yuri staggered a bit from the shock of what that man said and Conrad stepped in to steady him before Yuri collapsed.

"W-what did he mean?" Yuri finally managed to find his voice again. "What's-"

"No!" Murata yelled, realizing suddenly exactly what he meant, "That dagger, it was poisoned!"

They all gasped, "Poisoned?!"

To prove it, Murata gently took the piece of fabric that Iris had torn off from Yuri's pajamas and soaked up as much blood as he could so that they could see the wound itself. By the time he did though, Iris's veins around the wound had all blackened and it was spreading across her neck and chest, both of which were starting to fill with blood. Iris tried to breathe but each breathe was more and more painful and blood started to bubble up into her mouth and wet her deathly pale lips.

"T-there has to be a cure though right?!" Wolfram exclaimed, "That man had to have kept an antidote with him in case he got the wrong target wouldn't he?"

"Even if there was a cure," Murata began with a definite quiver in his voice, "I doubt he kept it on his person, and there's no time to search for it. It's already spreading too quickly for us to treat it..."

"Are you saying that we can't save her?!" Yuri shouted, gripping Murata by the shoulders, "There has to be something we can do! Can't we do like what we did with Gunter when he was poisoned and freeze Iris or something?! Don't tell me we can't do anything!"

"There's nothing we can do," Murata said lifelessly, "We wouldn't be able to set it up in time either..."

"NO!" Yuri growled, "I don't accept that!"

With his voice thickening with emotion, Murata choked, "I thought of everything we could do, but there's nothing left..." then to their shock, tears began to roll freely down his cheeks and Murata turned away from Yuri and the others to face Iris, whom Geisila was trying to treat with her magic as much as she could regardless of what he was saying to them...

However, the more she worked on Iris while they were arguing, the more Geisila realized that Murata was right. Whatever poison that man used, it was highly toxic and not only attacked the inside of Iris's lungs and throat, but was increasing the amount of blood in that area of the body so that she really would start to drown in her own blood. They might have had a better chance if the wound wasn't so close to Iris's heart but unfortunately that wasn't the case.

Iris was suffering. Just as she had always suffered for his sake even though Murata didn't remember her. And now when they were finally together, when Murata finally had a chance to be happy with a cute girl that loved him for himself right now, she was about to be taken away from him.

The thought was too much for Murata to bear. For thousands of years he had suffered just as much so Murata understood Iris on a level that no one else could ever hope to. And likewise, Iris understood him perhaps even better than he knew himself. Yet for all his experience and knowledge, Murata could not come up with a way to save her...except for one.

Without a word, Murata knelt down beside Iris and drew her up into his arms, flinching because of how cold her skin was. Then he bolted out the door without explaining anything. There was no time for words. No words that could express how badly Murata dared to hope that this last minute idea could save Iris from one of the most painful deaths imaginable. No words to express how much Murata wanted to fall in love with Iris as much as she was in love with him, enough to sacrifice herself for his best friend. Because after all they had been through, didn't they deserve some happiness? And right now, there was only one person who could grant that wish, the person that Murata had done all the sacrificing for...

The Great One.

* * *

><p>The only thing that Geisila managed to accomplish before Murata ran off was to slow the progress of the poison by using a subtle sedation to slow her system just as Yuri suggested. Of course, Geisila wasn't able to induce a comatose state like Gunter's in time before Murata ran off so Iris was still somewhat conscious the whole time. And Murata kept talking to her while they ran towards the Tomb of the Great One to try not only to keep himself focused on the task at hand but to also keep Iris conscious.<p>

Iris could feel herself fading away, though not as painfully as before thanks to Geisila. However, it was hard to keep Murata's face in focus as dark spots began to blot out her vision. And Murata's arms just felt so safe and warm that Iris wanted to melt into them. She resisted the urge to close her eyes though since she knew that if they closed now, they would never open again.

Since Iris was so light, Murata wasn't nearly as breathless as he expected to be once they reached the tomb. And the female guards already seemed to be aware that something was going on so they did not hinder Murata with questions about the reason behind his sudden visit in the night. They had long since learned that Murata was free to go to and fro from the tomb whenever he wished because of his relation to the Great One and Ulrike. That's why without a word, they opened each door before Murata reached them and stood aside to let him pass.

The others weren't far behind because they followed soon after Murata when he sprinted straight to the Tomb of the Great One. And for someone who didn't work out much, Murata had been surprisingly fast and hard to catch up with. So by the time Yuri and everyone made it to the Oracle Chamber where Murata was, Yuri was completely out of breath.

They found Murata standing before the alter with the remaining three boxes and Iris laying on the floor in front of him, squeezing his hand and using what was left of her strength to unlock the memories from her time together with Janis that she had sealed away from him only in regards to their own relationship. He saw everything from the day they first met to the day they parted and all the days in between when they had laughed and cried together. And those memories only strengthened Murata's resolve to save Iris, no matter the cost...

As soon as the vision ended, Murata looked up with his tear filled eyes and said in a thick voice, "I've never asked for anything in return for the things I have done for you and the Great Demon Kingdom. I never felt the need or desire to until now. But I ask you to please, please save her. I have never known anyone like Iris in the last four thousand years that I have been alive throughout the ages. She is the only one who waited for me and accepted all that I am. Out of everyone I have ever loved or lost, Iris was the first to actually try to help me accomplish my task of finding a way to defeat the Originators. Iris has shared my burden of remembering each and every lifetime in hopes of being reunited with me one day; she made me forget who she was so that I could focus on saving you from the darkness that was slowly taking you over. And I didn't even realize that the same darkness was growing inside of me until I faced myself again when the other Janis was created. But what Shibuya was to you and this world, Iris is becoming to me. She's my salvation, my hope. And if I lose her again now, I honestly don't think I can take it. If she dies here, I decided that I will keep on living, just so that I can find _her _again. The one person who for just one moment made me forget that I'm the Great Wiseman, and remember that I am Ken Murata, who would like nothing more than to be happy for once and have someone that I can depend on instead of everyone relying on me. That's why I'm asking for this one selfish thing, because I think you owe me at least that much..."

Iris inhaled a rattling breath as Murata said those words and her eyes brightened, although that might have only been because they were glazed over with fever. Even so, she reached up and folded her other hand over his as Murata held hers tightly while he plead with the Great One. And even now Iris could feel the vast mixture of Great Ones suffering and love engrained in the walls of this place. That was why Iris was so afraid of coming here, because while Murata only had to deal with his own darkness, the Great One had once been infused with the hatred and malice of the Originators. They were gone now, but Iris could still feel the memory of them here and it made even her soul tremble right down to the core.

That's when the Great One relented to appear.

Murata didn't look up when the Great One stepped down to where they were because his eyes were shut in a vain attempt to stem the tears welling up inside of him. He never felt this way before. Never wanted anything so badly that all of his composure was gone and Murata acted like the boy he really was now. Everyone had a tendency to forget that-with the exception of Yuri of course-and Murata himself honestly wondered sometimes who he really was now. Was he the Great Wiseman anymore? Or was he Ken Murata? With so many different lifetimes and memories between those two, how could anyone sort out which one was you?

Iris knew the answer, but she couldn't tell him. She couldn't tell anyone. And that made this all the more painful because Murata wanted to know who she saw in him now. Did she see their past? Or could she be reaching for the future? None of that would matter if Iris died. The whole cycle would start all over again for Murata and maybe it was that thought more than just losing her that terrified him the most...

While Murata sat there weeping, Iris glanced away from his tear-soaked face to gaze at the man he had worked so hard to save. She thought that she would be afraid to see him face to face and be exposed to his pain but when Iris looked in his eyes she only saw warmth. Iris could feel the fatherly love that the Great One possessed over not only the Great Demon Kingdom, but this entire country and its people. There was no more pain left in him anymore, only regret. A regret that Murata was still chained down by his original self and the expectations attached to them that he could not see who he really was anymore.

"So you're the young lady my Wiseman is getting all worked up about," the Great One smiled kindly as he laid a gentle hand upon Iris's chilled brow. "He never was one to show his true feelings to anyone, not even to me. Always so secretive. But you, somehow you expose the part of people that they try to hide so desperately. The part that hurts the most and needs to be healed..." he closed his eyes and started to pour his power into Iris to drive out the poison from her veins and save her life before continuing honestly, "Time hasn't healed either of us. It has only allowed old wounds to fester and return more painfully than before. And perhaps I have been too hard on him all this time and expected too much of one person. This is exactly why he's right, as always. I owe him. I owe him much more than this but for now your safety will have to suffice since I don't know what he enjoys anymore to be honest with you. Even with the soul of the man I held closest to me in those dark times four thousand years ago, I think that while Ken Murata is still a mystery to me, he is even more of a stranger to himself. So save him, Iris, by loving him for who he is and not because of his soul; even as Yuri's subjects love him."

After that, Iris started to glow from within and the poison was purified from her body and her eyes fluttered closed with a content smile on her face when the Great Ones warmth spread inside of her. Iris felt at peace for the first time in her life and could rest easy knowing that someone understood why she wanted to stay with Murata. Because like the Great One, Iris understood Murata's struggle to define himself now that everything was over. He had lived through four thousand years for a single purpose and now that it was gone Murata wasn't sure what to do with himself but remain just another face of the Great Wiseman until he died and faded from this world into only a memory.

Smiling again once his work was done; the Great One stood and said warmly, "The poison is gone. She's safe now."

Looking up at him at last, Murata drew a shaken breath and replied, "Thank you."

But the Great One shook his head and as he started to vanish back into the tomb to gather his strength again, he smiled again, "No, thank you Ken Murata, for allowing me to finally repay the debt I have owed you for a very long time," glancing back down at Iris's sleeping face, he added with a sly wink, "You got very lucky with this girl I think. Take care not to let her get swept away by someone else, because rare jewels like her only come once in a lifetime. And you got to have her in two."

"Right," Murata grinned back, brushing some wet hair out of her face, "I'll keep that in mind."

"See that you do," the Great One said. And then, he left in a flash of light and Murata cradled Iris with new tears streaming from his eyes...

Tears of joy.


	7. Chapter 7: The Final Verse

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything from Kyo Kara Maoh. This is purely fan-made.

**Note: **Ok, I'm doing a little bit better now so I wrote this new chapter for you guys. Still, don't forget to review please. I could still use some encouragement to keep myself motivated to write. Otherwise, I'll stick with my plan to pick at least one story to completely fix the grammar on before I update anything else. Or at the very least, I'll pick one to read all the way through again from start to finish to see which one I should update next once I am motivated enough, preferably an older one like _'The Ice King'_ or something. Anyway, enjoy this chapter and have a good day.

Chapter 7

_(Shattered by Trading Yesterday)_

_Yesterday I died, tomorrow's bleeding. _

_Fall into your sunlight. _

_The future's open wide, beyond believing. _

_To know why, hope dies. _

_Losing what was found, a world so hollow. _

_Suspended in a compromise. _

_The silence of this sound, is soon to follow. _

_Somehow, sundown. _

_And finding answers. _

_Is forgetting all of the questions we called home. _

_Passing the graves of the unknown. _

_As reason clouds my eyes, with splendor fading. _

_Illusions of the sunlight. _

_And a reflection of a lie, will keep me waiting. _

_With love gone, for so long. _

_And this day's ending._

_Is the proof of time killing, all the faith I know. _

_Knowing that faith, is all I hold. _

_And I've lost who I am, and I can't understand. _

_Why my heart is so broken, rejecting your love, without, love gone wrong, lifeless words carry on. _

_But I know, all I know, is that the end's beginning. _

_Who I am from the start, take me home to my heart. _

_Let me go and I will run, I will not be silent. _

_All this time spent in vain, wasted years, wasted gain. _

_All is lost, hope remains, and this war's not over. _

_There's a light, there's the sun, taking all shattered ones. _

_To the place we belong, and his love will conquer all. _

_And I've lost who I am, and I can't understand. _

_Why my heart is so broken, rejecting your love, without, love gone wrong, lifeless words carry on. _

_But I know, all I know, is that the end's beginning. _

_Who I am from the start, take me home to my heart. _

_Let me go and I will run, I will not be silent. _

_All this time spent in vain, wasted years, wasted gain. _

_All is lost, hope remains, and this war's not over. _

_There's a light, there's the sun, taking all shattered ones. _

_To the place we belong, and his love will conquer all. _

_Yesterday I died, tomorrow's bleeding. _

_Fall into your sunlight._

* * *

><p>Murata did not leave Iris's side for the next few days while she slept soundly to recover from her ordeal, or rather, ordeals that she had endured recently. They kept her at the tomb as well, where the two of them would not be disturbed. Because after hearing Murata's true feelings about Iris, Yuri personally requested that they leave them alone for awhile. And Murata for one was very grateful for that because a part of him felt ashamed for admitting that he sometimes resented being compared to his original or to Janis. After all, he had his own set of memories just like Yuri did. Although unlike Yuri Murata still remembered every single person he had ever been, while Yuri only knew about his own past life as Julia Von Wincott because he was told about it.<p>

Either way, Murata hardly slept at all while he anxiously waited for the moment when Iris opened her eyes again. In the meantime, Yuri and the others finally figured out who that man was when Yosak reported back on his findings about the most recent desertions in Ranjeel's army. Apparently, this man was a soldier from one of the ships Yuri nearly sank who had lost his younger brother when he fell overboard while they were trying to retrieve Ranjeel from the whirlpool he was flung into during the storm...

Yuri winced slightly at the memory but was grateful to at least know why that man tried to kill him despite how frightening as it was to think that he might have been the one who choked to death on his blood. So for Iris to have risked her own life and her last chance to be with Murata was really an eye opener for him. For one thing, it proved just how dangerous her impulses were to Iris's health whenever she was compelled by the strong emotions of not only the dead, but the living as well. And not only that, it also gave her the gift of foresight which allowed her to sense future events just as easily as she could sense past events.

Honestly, if it wasn't for Iris's unique powers, Yuri would have been the one who could have died. So now Yuri also owed Iris a great debt for saving his life, although granted she might have had no choice in the matter given what they had already seen her do. Still, he wanted to think that Iris chose to save him because of how grateful she was for his friendship to Murata.

Iris knew what it was like to know the truth about his many lives and wonder how Murata felt about you since he would only have that one lifetime to be with you. Because truthfully, he might have felt too afraid to open his heart completely to anyone since he knew that eventually they would be parted. So why forge bonds that would eventually be broken and lost in a sea of memories?

* * *

><p>"Is she really going to be ok? Be honest with me," Yuri asked the Great One earnestly when they came by to check on Murata and Iris.<p>

The Great One sighed, growing tired of this question day in and day out and replied, "As I told you before, she is perfectly healthy thanks to me and will awaken only when the time is right for her to do so." Opening his eyes, he added, "You must understand, Iris has a very old spirit and she has endured so much. I saw only a glimpse of it while I was healing her but...it was enough to make me understand to what lengths Iris has gone to for his sake. Therefore I can understand why she needs this time to rest, because her unique soul is so exposed to those around her both alive and dead which makes Iris extremely vulnerable. If not for her age, Iris could never have withstood the weight of that power for nearly as long as she has."

"You mean because she's an Empath?" Yuri blinked.

"I'm not quite sure what that is but yes, that may have something to do with it," the Great One replied, folding his arms.

"At any rate, I doubt waiting around here is doing Murata much good," Yuri told him honestly, "I mean, has he even eaten anything since the day you saved her? I haven't seen Murata at the castle at all and I'm getting really worried about him. It's not like him to mope, but given everything that's happened since we met Iris I wouldn't put it past him to feel responsible for the state she's in. After all, he's a strategist and usually predicts when we're going to have a problem. That wasn't the case this time and Iris was seconds away from dying. That's why I'd like to see him and cheer him up if I can, because none of this was his fault. He has to at least know that much with that big brain of his!"

Conrad chuckled, "How true. But still Your Highness, didn't you want to give them some privacy? I'm sure that His Eminence will come out when he's ready."

"That's just it," Yuri said, turning around and looking back at Conrad and the others, "We all heard what Murata said and I never realized that he's been feeling that way. We always assume nothing is wrong because Murata is so good at hiding things, especially his feelings. Heck, even I have a hard time knowing what's going on in his head sometimes. But right now I know that my best friend needs me, whether he'll admit it or not."

"Of course Your Highness," Gunter agreed, clasping his hands, "After all, you have also grown up close to His Eminence so I'm certain that you have a strong bond just like this young lady does. Both of you are his friends, and it's such a beautiful thing! If only I had the honor of knowing you during your childhood too!"

"Yes, well," Gwendal interrupted calmly, "Regardless, we owe Iris for saving His Highness so the least we could do is make sure she'll be taken care of from now on. After all, we just learned that her father is gone too so Iris is an orphan now. And what's more, we don't know who else is aware of her unique gifts so it may be only a matter of time before someone comes after her for those reasons. After all, I doubt her deed with the musician went unnoticed and we need to be ready for that. Besides, I am also concerned about His Eminence so I agree with His Majesty, we should check up on them."

Nodding, Wolfram added boldly, "I agree brother, we should do everything in our power to repay Iris for saving Yuri. I can't stand the thought that it might have been him who was hurt and not Iris, and I hate the fact that I didn't sense the threat in time. So either way, Iris is a very gifted girl who deserves our protection."

"Wolfram, do you really mean that?" Yuri asked, stunned by his generous offer.

"Of course I do! I'm not that heartless. And besides, she's in love with His Eminence and not you so I'm ok with that..." then Wolfram blushed bright red when he also added, "...because I agree that he deserves to have someone special like that in his life after the whole Janis fiasco. I mean, if anyone needed someone as selfless and caring as Iris who accepts him for who he is, it would be His Eminence. After all, if it wasn't for him we never would have made it this far let alone could have defeated the Originators. That's why I would like to wish them some happiness and repay her for what she did for him and for Yuri."

"I suppose that settles it then?" the Great One smiled, "You're all going whether I agree or not?"

With a boyish grin, Yuri nodded, "Yup!"

Chuckling softly, the Great One smiled back and said with a dismissive wave of his hand, "Fine, go then. Be with your friend. I know I can't stop you so why bother? Besides, it may do him some good to know that you still accept him even though he said all those things about feeling used. You just need to remind him who he really is...your friend and mine."

* * *

><p>Contrary to what they believed, Murata was eating proper meals during his stay at the tomb. It was just that he had someone bring him all his meals there instead of going all the way back to the castle. Because Murata didn't want to miss the instant that Iris opened her eyes and wanted his face to be the first thing she saw. Sure, maybe his feelings were a bit childish but Murata wanted to allow himself a bit of selfishness on his part because he loved Iris so much, more than he had ever allowed himself to love anything or anyone before.<p>

And now he understood why Iris sealed his memories of her away for so long, because Janis had once loved her almost as much as he did now because of how well she understood him. When Janis first told her about the memories he had of past lives she thought that was amazing and didn't shun him for being different. Others did, and even his own parents at the time thought he was a bit odd, but Iris always admired his dedication and tried very hard to help him. However, in the end, she became a hindrance for him so Iris made the painful choice of removing herself from his life so that he could move on without her. It was hard, but at least finding him again now after all these years of aimlessly searching was definitely worth it...

Murata jumped slightly when he heard his door creak open and rubbed his eye sleepily as he said, "Oh, hi Shibuya, what brings you here?"

Snorting, Yuri stepped inside with his hands on his hips saying, "What brings _me_ here? Seriously? Do you really have to ask?"

Putting his glasses back on, Murata smiled and replied, "No, I suppose not."

"Any changes in her condition?" Gwendal asked mildly as the rest of them entered too.

Murata shrugged, "Well the fever finally broke last night and she's breathing regularly again so I'm pretty sure she'll wake up soon. I just didn't want to miss it when that happened so I decided to stay here with her instead of coming back to the castle for dinner. But-" pointing at the empty tray on his desk, already knowing what Yuri was thinking, he added, "-as you can see I haven't been starving myself or staying up all hours of the night the last few days. I've taken a few naps here and there and Geisila can vouch for that since she's been checking up on Iris every few hours. So really, you don't have to worry about me. I'm alright now."

"Are you?" Yuri asked, raising an eyebrow, "Are you _really_?"

Murata nodded, "I am, because now I know that she's safe. That's all I needed to know..." turning back to Iris while she slept peacefully in her bed, he stroked her cheek with the tips of his fingers and smiled warmly, "I just...can't believe she's really here. Warm, and alive, just for me. I really thought she was going to die that day but he saved her just in time. Because if I had waited even a second longer to act, Iris wouldn't be here with us. And this really was her last chance to find me. Otherwise, I would have never known about Iris at all and left this world-and her-behind."

"Your Eminence..." Gunter began, his eyes becoming misty, "If I may be so bold, I would like to say that I could not wish for a better partner for you than this brave young lady right there. She truly is a wonder. And the fact that Lady Iris would search for you for so long without ever giving up is truly a sign of unparalleled devotion and true love! So I for one wish you both the greatest of happiness!"

"I agree," Conrad smiled warmly, "You and Iris should be very happy together, and we will do our best to see to that from this day forward. After all, I think we owe you just as much as the Great One for all the help and counsel you have given us since your return to our world."

Then lastly, Wolfram added with a slight blush to his cheeks again, "Well, like I said before, Iris did save Yuri's life and I already promised to repay her for that. But you've probably saved us all dozens of times before that too so we owe you just as much if not more than that. However, what I think is probably the first thing you should hear from us before anything else is just...thank you."

Murata was honestly stunned by their responses and tore his gaze away from Iris to look at them thoughtfully. For the first time, Murata felt like he was not surrounded by just Yuri's subjects, but with his friends. Because for the longest time, he felt like a stranger in their midst and that all they saw in him was the soul of the Great Wiseman that he bore, not his own face or personality. So the fact that they were expressing their feelings of gratitude so sincerely to him right now, exactly like they would for Yuri, made Murata finally feel accepted for who he was as a person-and a friend-to them too.

It was that moment, when Murata was about to say 'thank you' himself for their kind words, that Iris opened her eyes and began reaching for Murata with both hands. There was something inside of her that Iris had to let out. Something that Iris longed to express to him after all these years. And now that she had found it, Iris was not about to let this chance slip away from her...

Murata felt her movement and slowly turned to see Iris reaching for him and was about to speak when he looked into her eyes and fell silent. All he needed was that one look to know what Iris wanted, so he closed his eyes and let her warp her arms around his neck and pull him closer. Likewise, no one else spoke and watched Iris draw Murata closer.

At first, they all thought Iris was going to kiss him. However, everyone was shocked and amazed when instead, Iris shifted her head to rest against Murata's neck and breathlessly uttered the name, "Ken..."


	8. Epilogue

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything from Kyo Kara Maoh. This is purely fan-made.

**Note: **At last we arrive at the final chapter of _'The Soundless Lovesong!' _But, is it truly the end of their love story? Are we going to be left to wonder what happens to Murata and Iris after they finally confessed their love for one another? Well, the answer to that is a big fat NO! Now, before I say anything else I should warn you that I'm going to be a little mean because I'm cutting this chapter shorter than I usually would for a final chapter. I'm doing this because I wanted to set the stage for a special sequel that's going to start immediately after this one leaves off. And because I'm curious to see how you guys react to the ending. So please, leave me a review as soon as you finish reading this chapter and let me know what you think of the ending, whether or not you like the direction I'm taking it, or if you have any suggestions for how the sequel should go after this. Well in any case now that that's out of the way, I hope you all enjoy the final chapter and be sure to watch out for the sequel _'The Melodies of Life' _coming soon!

Epilogue

Eyes wide with shock, Murata whispered, "Iris, what did you just..."

Tightening her arms around him, she repeated in a weak, breathless voice, "...Ken I...love..."

Unable to hold it back any longer Murata's eyes suddenly swelled with tears and he pulled Iris into a tight embrace. No one had ever been close enough to him for Murata to let them use his first name, with the exception of Yuri of course who actually preferred to call him Murata anyway. Even though the two of them were best friends. But hearing Iris speak for the first time and having the first word that she uttered be his current name instead of _'Janis,'_ it filled him with such unspeakable emotion that for the first time in his life Murata showed them a more vulnerable side of himself that they had only seen once before when Iris lay dying in his arms and he asked the Great One to save her.

When she said his name, Murata took it as a sign that the love Iris had wanted to confess to him for so long were meant for the person he was in this life and not just a remnant of their past lives together. For his sake, Iris wanted strive to pave a happy future for Murata so that he never had to feel chained down by his past as the Great Wiseman or anyone else ever again. That way Murata could finally obtain the peace she felt he deserved more than anyone else who fought against the darkness that once threatened their world...

"I can't believe it, Iris can talk now! How did that happen?" Yuri gasped, although like everyone else in the room he seemed both shocked and elated by this startling new development.

"Perhaps the Great One did more than just purify the poison from her body, he must have healed some part of her spirit as well," Conrad suggested.

Upon hearing this, Murata quickly let go of Iris as he dried his eyes using his sleeve and replaced his glasses before looking back at everyone with an unusually bewildered expression on his face, which was rare for him. "I suppose that's possible but...why? All I asked him to do was save her life, so for him to have done something like that is-"

"Isn't it great though Murata? Now Iris can tell you all about herself in her own words instead of having to write them all out like before," Yuri beamed happily, "And I'm sure there's a lot you still want to ask her about right?"

Blushing slightly, Murata nodded just when Iris tugged at his sleeve and tried to speak again, "Can...I say..." but her voice trailed off weakly and she leaned against his shoulder, feeling rather breathless since this was the first time she had ever spoken aloud.

Stroking her head and pulling her closer, Murata smiled and said soothingly, "It's alright, you don't have to push yourself to say anything else right now Iris. We'll have plenty of time to talk. Ok?"

Iris nodded and closed her eyes serenely, feeling relieved but at the same time wishing she could tell them all how thankful she was that everyone was safe and for how much they had supported her up until now. There was so much Iris wanted to say. But for now, confessing her love to him would have to be enough...

Especially since it was the one thing Iris thought she would never be able to do.

* * *

><p>Before long, Iris was back to her old self again and could even manage to form short sentences. At least, for short periods of time. It would take some time, but since Geisila was put in charge of Iris's voice therapy she was making huge strides. Of course they also hired the services of a specialist who was due to arrive any day now so that Geisila could resume her usual duties and leave Iris in their care.<p>

"Does this...look alright?" Iris asked Murata quietly, blushing slightly as he appraised the dress Lady Celli had given her as a gift for a party that was being held that night.

It was a light teal-colored dress with a thin lavender lace draped over it that was designed with tiny flowers and butterflies trailing up from the hem. The collar was cut in a high v-neck and the sleeves were short and frilly, overlapping like flower petals themselves. And to finish off the outfit, Lady Celli and the maids helped put her hair up with a net of pearls and a simple silver necklace with an opal pendant at the base.

Iris wasn't used to being dolled up like this, at least not since her mother passed away, so she felt a bit shy about showing herself off. Especially to Murata first. But he insisted on seeing her in it so Iris relented to put the dress back on even though the party was still a few hours away. She kept the hair up though since it had taken them almost an hour to finish since her hair was so long; it was tied up in a small bun where the netted pearls were holding it in place while the rest was loosely spilling down her back.

Chortling softly, Murata finally replied, "Yeah, you look just like a real Princess Iris. I'll have to make sure to keep an eye on you so no one else tries to make a move on you."

Rolling her eyes and pushing him slightly, Iris pouted, "That's not funny. You are the...only one I'll ever love..." then she trailed off and averted her gaze, feeling ashamed that her voice still sounded so weak and quiet.

"I know," Murata said a little more gently, taking her by the hand and giving it a squeeze. "I was only teasing. Besides, I've never had a girlfriend before-at least not in this lifetime-so I'm kind of new at all this, sorry."

"Ken..." Iris smiled, bringing both their hands up and placing the back of his against her cheek.

"Iris, you know-" Murata blushed and scratched the back of his head with the other hand, "-it's still kind of embarrassing when you call me by my first name. I mean my parents do all the time but with you its different. Its special. So uh...if you don't mind, for now could we just-"

Iris nodded, and with a sympathetic smile she whispered, "Alright, I understand..."

Relaxing his shoulders-which Murata hadn't realized until then were very tense-he eased his hand out of Iris's and hugged her gently, smiling, "Man, I'm so lucky to have you in my life, Iris. I feel like I can tell you anything and you'll understand right away even if I don't say anything. I don't have to keep any secrets from you or hide my true feelings the way I'm used to. Before I met you I never realized how many feelings I've still been holding back, even now after everything I set out to do was over. I thought I made my peace with that, and then you came along and opened my eyes. Me, the high and mighty Great Wiseman! At least, that's what I always thought. But now, I'm just a normal boy dating a wonderful and beautiful girl that loves me for who I really am. And I couldn't be happier."

Feeling tired from talking so much in one setting, Iris simply nodded with a smile as Murata released her and left soon after he gave her a fleeting kiss on the lips and left to go get ready himself. After all this wasn't a normal party they were attending, it was a gathering of the nations who were a part of the Great Demon Kingdom Alliance so that they could socialize and strengthen their bonds. And Iris for one was going to continue to work very hard to strengthen her relationship with Murata as well, especially since Iris could sense that even though he loved her he still seemed unsure of himself.

Some part of him still felt like he would always be Janis and the Great Wiseman in her eyes, and therefore Murata didn't know how to act around her the way he was now because Iris didn't know who he was back on Earth. Here, he would always be seen as a Double-Black, the reincarnation of the Great Wiseman, and someone as equally important as the Demon King in this world. That was something Murata couldn't change. And that was why, as Ken Murata, he felt shy about being addressed by his first name and being treated like that's all he was to Iris here in this world when so many others still saw him as a clever strategist and Yuri's closest adviser.

As an Empath Iris understood his feelings of uncertainty, but as someone who cared about him so deeply on a personal level it was hard for her to see him like this. Somehow, Iris had to figure out a way to make things easier for Murata and banish the last of his doubts. And so with that Iris changed out of her dress and left to go help the others with the rest of the preparations as well. Besides, maybe that would give Iris enough time to think of what else she could do to help Murata open up to her a bit more and not still feel so reserved.

* * *

><p>That night, elegant music played throughout the ballroom as Yuri's guests danced and mingled with one another. And just as Murata feared, Iris's beauty kept catching the attention of the nobleman present at the party and several of them asked her to dance with them. She tried to refuse but since her voice was almost non-existent Iris kept getting swept away to the dance floor. And since Iris could hardly speak each one of her escorts simply thought she was shy and idly chatted about this or that until the song ended and another took their place...<p>

The whole time, Iris kept searching the crowd for Murata but saw no sign of him which troubled her greatly. Surely he should have been easy to spot with his black hair right? Feeling a bit distressed and overwhelmed in Murata's absence-especially with the confusing maelstrom of emotions all around her-Iris was about to make her way towards the hallway to get some air when she suddenly felt a hand take hers and before she could even blink, Iris was standing on the balcony.

It was so sudden that for a moment Iris was disoriented, especially since as usual she felt the emotions of the person who had touched her hand. Iris knew it wasn't Murata right away, and yet, there was something strangely familiar about their touch that she couldn't quite place. It was only when she looked up that Iris realized why she recognized this presence, and her eyes widened in shock.

"You're..."


End file.
